Gamecocks' Martin gets first SEC win

BATON ROUGE, La. — After two tight losses to open his ledger as South Carolina's coach, Frank Martin needed overtime to secure his first Southeastern Conference win.

"Three times now we had it late," said Martin. "But nobody hung their heads."

Michael Carrera's 23 points led four South Carolina players in double figures as the Gamecocks defeated Louisiana State University 82-73 in overtime on Wednesday night.

A 6-foot-5 freshman from Venezuela making just his second road SEC appearance, Carrera dealt well with a physical Tigers front court and a hostile student section that aimed their barbs at him.

"I love pressure," said Carrera. "I am young, but I've dealt with pressure all my life. Road win, so I guess pressure is very good."

Carrera scored 21 points after halftime, including 10 in overtime, when the Gamecocks (11-5, 1-2) outscored the Tigers 13-4. It was an industrious performance, with 9-of-10 free throw shooting and an active inside game, despite an awkward gait that Martin said comes from a "busted-up hip."

"I don't think they were running any plays for him," said LSU guard Charles Carmouche, who hit three 3-point shots on his way to 13 points. "He was just playing hard. He was getting rebounds and going back up."

The Tigers (9-5, 0-3) led 69-65 with 2:41 to go before giving up a layup by Carrera and two free throws by Williams. LSU guard Anthony Hickey made a steal but failed to create a shot with the shot clock turned off before Johnny O'Bryant III missed a game-winning jumper attempt for the Tigers.

LSU shot the 3-pointer effectively to open the second half, connecting on five of its first seven 3-point tries, including four by Hickey, who finished with 18 points.

Hickey also grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and two steals, but his five turnovers in 35 minutes were a symptom of a problem for the Tigers, who committed 22 turnovers that South Carolina turned into 27 points.

NO. 13 BUTLER 62, RICHMOND 47

In Indianapolis, Andrew Smith scored 15 points, and Butler (15-2, 3-0) used a stifling defense to beat Richmond (11-7, 1-2) in its first Atlantic 10 Conference home game.

In State College, Pa., Adreian Payne scored 20 points after spending the first half on the bench following a morning scuffle with teammate Brandon Dawson, and Michigan State (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) held on against Penn State (8-9, 0-5).

In Durham, N.C., Elizabeth Williams scored 20 points to keep Duke (16-0, 5-0 ACC) unbeaten with a rout of Virginia Tech (7-10, 1-5). The Blue Devils are the only undefeated team left in Division I basketball.